The Wolfpacker

Jan.-Feb. 2020

The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports

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46 ■ THE WOLFPACKER The first move that Davis made as coach of the Raiders was to trade for Gibson. "He was an impressive individual and a dynamic person," Gibson remembered. With the Raiders, Gibson led the AFL in punt return average for the next two seasons. "I had good hands, No. 1," Gibson said. "I could catch the ball. I don't think I ever fumbled a punt return, which is phenomenal." Gibson's career average of 12.1 yards a runback still ranks third all time in NFL history among qualified punt returners. After five years in the professional ranks, Gibson decided to retire and spent two years as a scout for the Raiders, where he made an immense contribution to the course of football history. In 1966, Davis took over as commissioner of the AFL, and one of his first acts was to sign some of the NFL's best quarterbacks. Davis commissioned Gibson to help the Raiders lure his former college teammate Gabriel, who was starring for the NFL's Los Angeles Rams. Gabriel's signing helped lead to the merger of the two leagues in June 1966. Not long after that, Gibson received another call from Edwards. One of Edwards' assistants had taken a high school coaching job, opening a spot on his staff for the 1967 season. Gibson took the job and became the defensive backs coach on the famous "White Shoes" defense at NC State. That squad included a linebacker named Chuck Amato that Gibson noted was more affec- tionately known as "The Chest." Amato had convinced Edwards to allow them to paint their shoes white. "Coach Edwards was a little leery about us having white shoes," Gibson said. "He said, 'If you wear those white shoes, you got to win.'" That they did. NCSU went 8-0 to begin the year, including a vic- tory at No. 2 Houston on the road to rise to No. 3 in the Associated Press poll. A late-season loss at Penn State derailed the team's title dreams, and NC State finished 9-2. By happenstance, after that season the Boston Patriots were in town to sign a player and asked Edwards for permission to talk to Gibson about taking a job there. Gibson become the youngest assis- tant in the NFL. A year later, he was in Buffalo, helping coach kickoff and punt returns. One of his returners was O.J. Simpson. "He was a great athlete," Gibson said. "Players like him make coaches look good." Another player for the Bills was one of Gibson's former team- mates with the Chargers and a future Vice President nominee, quar- terback Jack Kemp. Gibson called Kemp one of his idols in life. He returned to college coaching as an offensive coordinator at Tulsa in 1970, but not for long. The school was under investigation by the NCAA and ultimately put on probation. The head coach, Vince Carillot, resigned that summer, and Gibson became the interim head man. That label was removed after the Golden Hurricanes went 6-4, and he spent two more years as their head coach. One of his players during that time was receiver Steve Largent, who would go on to become a record-setting NFL Hall of Famer. He also coached receiver Drew Pearson, a Dallas Cowboys legend, and Ray Rhodes, who would later become an NFL head coach with the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers. In 1975, Gibson returned to his roots in the mountains of North Carolina to become the head coach and director of athletics at Mars Hill University, leading the Lions to a 55-37-2 record over eight years. He is in the Mars Hill University Hall of Fame. Following his coaching days, Gibson got into the golf business. He went to work for Sherwood Pinkston, who started the first golf scorecard printing company called Golf Associates, before branching out on his own in 1996 to start Golf Affiliates Scorecard Company. At 81, Gibson does not consider himself retired. After living in the Pinehurst area, he moved to Taylorsville, N.C., and also still main- tains a residence in Asheville. Gibson tries to get back to the NC State football reunions when he can, and in August, he helped celebrate Gabriel's 79th birthday. "My connection with NC State is most memorable, but more than that is the relationship you have with your teammates and your coaches," said Gibson, who was elected to the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. "Those are the days you don't ever forget." ■ Following his coaching days, which included stints on the college and NFL levels, Gibson (above with wife Nancy) got into the golf business. PHOTO COURTESY GIBSON FAMILY

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